Seahawks notebook: Harvin not limited in practice

By Danny O’Neil

RENTON – Vikings defensive end Jared Allen has plenty of respect for Percy Harvin’s ability.

That doesn’t mean Allen is eager to see his former teammate, though. He made that clear when he was asked if he was excited to see if Harvin would be lining up on the other side of the ball when the Vikings play at Seattle on Sunday.

“I sure hope he isn’t,” Allen said Thursday in an interview with Minnesota reporters. “Percy’s good enough, let alone coming back with fresh legs and pissed off at us, right?”

Bad news for Jared: Harvin practiced without limitation on Thursday and there’s every indication that he’s going to make his Seahawks debut on Sunday. And if Harvin needed any extra motivation, he will be facing the team he decided he didn’t want to play for any more, precipitating the trade to Seattle this offseason.

Minnesota got three draft picks, including Seattle’s 2013 first-round choice, Harvin got a fresh start and a new contract, and now we’re about to see what the Seahawks received as they unveil Harvin.

Allen – for one – knows what that means for Sunday’s game.

“Percy is the kind of guy, you’ve got to stop him before he gets started,” Allen said. “You can’t let him get going. You can’t let him get in the open field. That’s where he’s dangerous.

“He’s a tough kid. If he’s in there, we’re going to have to go hit him.”

Line of fire

Seattle’s offensive line looks like it’s going to be full strength on Sunday as center Max Unger and offensive tackles Russell Okung and Breno Giacomini all practiced without limitation Thursday.

That’s going to give the Seahawks a whole bunch of options especially after the substitution patterns last week when Seattle used what amounted to a pass-protection package with Alvin Bailey coming in at left tackle, bumping Paul McQuistan over to left guard while James Carpenter came out of the game.

It was a move prompted by a pretty straightforward goal of improving the pass protection, said offensive-line coach Tom Cable.

“It’s no doubt, we’ve had issues,” Cable said. “We’ve just got to figure out a way to help the team. If it meant moving those guys in and out last week, it worked. It was good. It was a credit to them because they were ready to play, so we’re able to do that. If you’re not, then you’re stuck with what you’ve got.”

With Okung back, Seattle can move McQuistan to left guard ahead of Carpenter, and the development of Bailey – who played 35 snaps against Atlanta – also presents an opportunity as he saw time at right guard when J.R. Sweezy was suffering from cramps.

“He’s getting better as a run player,” Cable said of Bailey, “so it gives you just a little bit more athleticism out there and balance in it. It worked, so it’s a good experiment.”

Notes

• CB Richard Sherman returned to practice Thursday after sitting out Wednesday’s workout with a sore hip.

• The only three Seahawks who did not practice Thursday: CB Brandon Browner, who is almost certain not to play because of a strained groin, DT Tony McDaniel (hamstring) and CB Jeremy Lane (thigh).